I come from a strange brew of technical vs systemless play. AD&D, D&D5e, GURPS, TMNT, Amber, WoD, and played (and ran, a bit, as a GM) some Daggerheart beta.
Daggerheart is the best I’ve found as a balance, in the TTRPG landscape, of providing a bit of ‘crunch’ while still being very narrative in its sensibility.
The system seamlessly blends rapid, organic combat with an inherently collaborative gameplay structure. Battles flow swiftly, maintaining excitement without sacrificing depth or strategy. Players and GMs alike are consistently encouraged toward cooperative storytelling. It’s a tightrope of a kind and I think DH handles things well. Running one of the beta adventures (The Sablewood Messengers) I was delighted to see everyone was able to resolve the adventure non-violently, which was a treat and I’m a little skeptical that a crunchier system would have encouraged as creative a solution.
As for the physical construction, I purchased the limited edition and I have to say it’s beautiful. The box, book, and accoutrement are not just aesthetic but well made. I heard someone say the GM screen was too busy and I’m sorry to disagree but I really don’t see how that conclusion can be reached. It’s actually pretty sparse, as a large portion of the screen are things like suggestions / advice for GMs, not data to tabulate or rules to enforce.
And to the core book, it is exceptionally well organized and full of fun, beautiful, thought-starting artwork. It’s a real joy.
The limited edition wasn’t cheap but I can honestly say it’s one of the highest quality purchases I’ve made the past calendar year.